THE MEMOIR
Through the Ashes
Through the Ashes by Christina A. Cole is a deeply personal memoir of survival, trauma, and rebuilding after catastrophic illness. It explores what happens when survival is only the beginning, and the long journey toward recovery, identity, resilience, and purpose.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Impossible to Put Down”
— FOREWORD REVIEWS
THE STORY BEHIND THE ASHES
A Story of Survival. A Life Rebuilt.
When Christina Cole’s life was shattered by a sudden, catastrophic medical crisis, she was thrust into a world of surgeries, machines, and moments so dark they nearly swallowed her whole. Doctors fought to save her. Her body fought to survive. And Christina fought to believe this was not the end of her story.
But survival was only the beginning.
What followed was a relentless climb back from devastation: learning to move again, to trust again, and to exist inside a body forever changed. Through every victory and setback, Christina discovered a fierce kind of hope, strengthened by her family’s unwavering love and the quiet faith that tomorrow could still hold something worth reaching for.
BEYOND SURVIRAL
Reclaiming her Life and Herself.
Told with cinematic intensity and soul-baring honesty, Through the Ashes pulls readers into the raw reality of trauma and the profound beauty of a second chance. Christina invites you into the moments that broke her, the ones that healed her, and the ones that transformed her into a woman she never expected to become—stronger, wiser, and unafraid to rise again.
Her story is not only about nearly losing her life; it is about reclaiming it with stunning courage. It is about rebuilding identity, rediscovering purpose, and choosing hope even when the world goes dark.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“ Through the Ashes is a stunning, beautifully written memoir of indescribable physical trauma. As I read it, I couldn't believe that something so devastating could be written in such exquisite prose. Definitely worth a read. ”
— Amazon Customer Review
INSIDE THE MEMOIR
Four Themes at the Heart of
Through the Ashes
Four defining themes run through the memoir, exploring survival, recovery, advocacy, and the courage to rebuild.
SURVIVAL & STRENGTH
Strength through life's hardest moments.
TRAUMA & RECOVERY
Healing beyond the physical wounds.
HOPE & RESILIENCE
Rebuilding with courage and purpose.
PATIENT ADVOCACY
Turning experience into a voice for others.
WHY I WROTE IT
A Story I Needed to Tell.
A Story of Breaking, Becoming, and rising Stronger than Before.
When I survived septic shock and cardiac arrest, underwent multiple surgeries, and lost portions of both feet and several fingertips, I entered a world few people truly understand.
The fight wasn’t over when I left the hospital. In many ways, that was when the hardest part began.
I wrote Through the Ashes to tell the full truth of that journey—the physical, emotional, and invisible scars, the struggle to rebuild my life, and the strength it took to keep choosing hope.
I needed to write this book for the woman I was then—and for anyone who has ever felt broken, unseen, or uncertain that they could survive what came next.
My hope is that these pages remind you that even after life changes in unimaginable ways, you can rise again—and you do not have to do it alone.
AVAILABLE NOW
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Through the Ashes.
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BARNES & NOBLE
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Connect with Christina for author appearances, book discussions, interviews, events, and opportunities inspired by Through the Ashes and the conversations it continues to open.